Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Spotify CEO Daniel Ek today spoke out against Apple's App Store policies, joining Twitter CEO Elon Musk, who earlier this week said that Apple was making moderation demands and had threatened to withhold Twitter from the App Store.
At The New York TimesDealBook Summit, Zuckerberg said that only Apple attempts to limit the apps that are in the App Store, and that the App Store policies are not sustainable. As noted by CNBC, Zuckerberg claimed that Apple has "singled themselves out as the only company that is trying to control unilaterally what apps get on a device," which is not a "good place to be."
Zuckerberg went on to praise Google for allowing for alternate content on Android phones. "They’ve always made it so you can sideload and have other app stores and work directly with phone manufacturers," said Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg has clashed with Apple several times over App Store rules, specifically around various purchases that can be made in the Facebook app. Apple wants a 30 percent cut of things like in-app boosts, which Facebook does not want to pay.
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, meanwhile, made comments on Twitter claiming that Apple gives developers "the illusion of control," and that the App Store is a "threat to the future of the internet" that denies consumers choice.
So how much longer will we look away from this threat to the future of the internet? How many more consumers will be denied choice? There’s been a lot of talk. Talk is helpful but we need action. @CommerceGov@EU_Commission@vestager
— Daniel Ek (@eldsjal) November 30, 2022
Ek has clashed with Apple recently over Spotify's new audiobooks feature. Apple rejected Spotify's audiobook update several times and ultimately did not allow Spotify to direct users to purchase audiobooks through an in-app email signup button.
Ek and Zuckerberg are longtime Apple critics and have been encouraging lawmakers to force Apple to support alternative app stores on iOS devices to reduce fees. Multiple bipartisan bills have been introduced in the U.S., and if these are ultimately passed, Apple would need to make significant App Store changes.
Apple's restrained artificial intelligence strategy may pay off in 2026 amid the arrival of a revamped Siri and concerns around the AI market "bubble" bursting, The Information argues.
The speculative report notes that Apple has taken a restrained approach with AI innovations compared with peers such as OpenAI, Google, and Meta, which are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in data...
Tuesday December 30, 2025 2:11 pm PST by Juli Clover
The Apple Fitness+ Instagram account today teased that the service has "big plans" for 2026. In a video, several Apple Fitness+ trainers are shown holding up newspapers with headlines related to Apple Fitness+.
What's Apple Fitness+ Planning for the New Year?
Something Big is Coming to Apple Fitness+
The Countdown Begins. Apple Fitness+ 2026 is Almost Here
2026 Plans Still Under ...
Monday December 29, 2025 10:55 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple is rumored to be introducing a foldable iPhone in September 2026, and since it will bring the biggest form factor change since the iPhone was introduced in 2007, curiosity about the design is high. A 3D designer created an iPhone Fold design based on rumors, and we printed it out to see how it compares to Apple's current iPhones.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
Monday December 22, 2025 11:30 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple hasn't updated the Apple TV 4K since 2022, and 2025 was supposed to be the year that we got a refresh. There were rumors suggesting Apple would release the new Apple TV before the end of 2025, but it looks like that's not going to happen now.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said several times across 2024 and 2025 that Apple would...
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iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max owners are having trouble with the speakers of their devices, and have complained about a static or hissing noise that occurs when the iPhone is charging.
There are multiple discussions about the issue on Reddit, the MacRumors forums, and Apple's Support Community, where affected users say there is a noticeable static noise "like an old radio." Some people report...
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While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another nine months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices.
Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models.
The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras
Under-screen Face ID
Front camera in...
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Apple hasn't updated the Mac Pro since 2023, and according to recent rumors, there's no update coming in the near future. In fact, Apple might be finished with the Mac Pro.
Bloomberg recently said that the Mac Pro is "on the back burner" and has been "largely written off" by Apple. Apple apparently views the more compact Mac Studio as the ideal high-end pro-level desktop, and it has almost...
Wednesday December 31, 2025 8:39 am PST by Eric Slivka
Apple today added the final 13-inch MacBook Air powered by Intel processors, the Apple Watch Series 5, and additional products to its vintage products list. The iPhone 11 Pro was also added to the list after the iPhone 11 Pro Max was added back in September.
The full list of products added to Apple's vintage and obsolete list today:
MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020)
iPhone 8 Plus 128GB ...
My rule of thumb is that if Mark Z. says something is bad, it's probably actually good. And thank god MR actually restrained itself from putting up yet another Sweaty Mark Photo to illustrate this article!
Whatever. Jealous people who can’t do it themselves. It’s not a crime that people have to pay for what Apple provides. These people are greedy and selfish. And none of us should give a damn what they think.
I’m all up for side loading but I know the truth is that Facebook will immediately require users to side load their app which has every shady data mining feature turned on if you want to use their service
